Jan 13, 2015

Zac Finley proposed to his girlfriend in front of the Old Faithful web camera so he could share the moment with their loved ones back home. As it turns out, their family members weren’t the only ones watching on Saturday evening.

A man's marriage proposal drew international interest when did so in front of Yellowstone National Park’s webcam of Old Faithful. The scene was captured for posterity in this screenshot, captured by Kate McLaughlin and later shared on Yellowstone’s Facebook page. (She said yes.)

Parkes said yes and close to 13,000 people had “liked” the image by noon Monday.

Posted a woman from Arizona: “Congratulations, may your marriage be as steadfast as Old Faithful!”

Several of the Facebook users shared their own stories of getting engaged in Yellowstone, while people from West Virginia, Missouri and the United Kingdom wrote to say they’d just happened to be watching the geyser camera when Finley proposed.

Finley described using a bit of trickery to get Parkes in front of the camera.

“She thought we were just getting outside before dinner to wave to her and I’s family back home via the webcam,” he posted.

While Finley said he hadn’t thought about the hundreds of others who’d be watching the moment, he thanked everyone for the well wishes.

“Obviously this was a special moment for us, and continues to grow even more special,” Finley wrote in one post. “Now this would-be short moment, is lasting longer than we ever expected!”

Agreed Parkes, in another post: “(Saturday) was a very special day for us, but I have to say that waking up to Zac saying, ‘You have to see this’ and finding out that so many people were watching or looking at this picture on the (Yellowstone National Park Facebook) page, was pretty special as well.”

The two work as snow coach drivers for Xanterra Parks and Resorts, Yellowstone’s concessionaire.